sora

American  

[sawr-uh, sohr-uh] / ˈsɔr ə, ˈsoʊr ə /

noun

1. a small, short-billed rail, Porzana carolina, of marshy areas of North America.

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sora British  

/ ˈsɔːrə /

noun

1. a North American rail, Porzana carolina, with a greyish-brown plumage and yellow bill

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Etymology

Origin of sora

An Americanism dating back to 1695–1705; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

He looked through an aperture in the grass to see a creature approximately the size of a large cat, contentedly feasting on the remains of the sora.

From Swamp Cat by Kjelgaard, James Arthur

These marshes abound with wild duck and sora.

From Three Acres and Liberty by Hall, Bolton

A log floated against the bank on the other side, and a sora teetered on it.

From Swamp Cat by Kjelgaard, James Arthur

One kind of the fermented liquors, sora, made from the corn, was of such strength, that the use of it was forbidden by the Incas, at least to the common people.

From History of the Conquest of Peru; with a preliminary view of the civilization of the Incas by Prescott, William Hickling

The clapper's cousin, the sora, or Carolina rail, so well known to gunners, alas! if not to "every child," delights to live wherever wild rice grows along inland lakes and rivers or along the coast.

From Birds Every Child Should Know by Blanchan, Neltje